Main area: Mental Health
Grade: NHS AfC: Band 3
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm)
Job ref: 437-6880082
Employer: Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: Hindley Town Hall, Wigan
Salary: £24,071 - £25,674 per annum
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 13/01/2025 23:59
Job Overview
We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated peer mentor to join our community mental health service in the Wigan Borough called Living Well. The Living Well Service enables timely access to mental health services and provides support for people who might not traditionally meet the threshold or criteria of existing mental health services. The team is multidisciplinary and works in partnership with local VCFSE organisations.
The role of Peer Mentor has been developed specifically for people who have lived experience of mental health or a dual diagnosis such as mental health and substance misuse/Learning Difficulties/Autism to support others who may benefit from peer support in addition to other treatment and interventions.
You will be supported by members of the leadership team including a peer mentor co-ordinator, team leader, operational programme manager, and clinical lead. CPD opportunities are available, and personal interests/skills will be supported to develop and grow. There is also an expectation that you will be involved in the ongoing development of Peer Mentor/Support Worker roles at the Trust.
The Wigan Living Well Service is compassionately led, trauma-informed, and recovery-focused. Living Well has co-produced key values and principles that all staff and peers share. Our model is humanistic and person-centred, focusing on creating open, honest, safe spaces and conversations where all people’s strengths are valued.
Main Duties of the Job
As a Peer Mentor, you will act as a role model, mentor, and ambassador for Living Well in both clinical and non-clinical environments across a range of community settings. Through sharing wisdom from your own experiences, you will inspire hope and belief that living well is possible in others.
In this role, you will also support and promote recovery from mental health as a user-led concept, emphasizing hope and optimism, inspiring individuals to achieve their aspirations/goals, valuing experiential learning alongside others, focusing on strengths rather than deficits, fostering collaboration between those who need support and those who support them, and enabling and promoting autonomy and self-management.
You will be required to document appointments held with the people we support and, therefore, require a basic understanding of computer systems (e.g., Microsoft Office).
The successful candidate will be able to identify relevant information and document this accordingly in a clear, concise, and timely manner.
Please note, this is a community-based role and requires you to travel to various locations day-to-day. The ability to travel to a range of locations within the service delivery footprint to attend sessions or appointments is essential.
Working for Our Organisation
Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) Foundation Trust employs over 7000 members of staff, delivering services from more than 160 locations.
We provide inpatient and community-based mental health care for people living in Bolton, the city of Manchester, Salford, Trafford, and the borough of Wigan, along with a wide range of specialist mental health and substance misuse services across Greater Manchester, the north west of England, and beyond.
Greater Manchester is one of the world's most innovative, original, and exciting places to live and work, offering a great northern welcome with people famed for their warmth, humour, and generosity.
Our people enjoy their work, have opportunities to learn and develop their skills, and are encouraged to generate new ideas that improve care for our service users.
Person Specification
Education/Qualification
* Competent in Maths and English at Level 1 Functional Skills (equivalent to GCSE grade D-E) and willing to work towards Level 2 (GCSE grade A-C).
* Has undertaken the Trust Level 2 Award in Peer Support Work or is willing to do so as soon as the position is offered or completed an equivalent programme.
* Competent in basic Microsoft Office applications (e.g., e-mail, Word, Teams).
Experience
* Lived experience of mental health problems and/or dual diagnosis with a period of mental health stability.
* Experience of accessing services and actively contributing to own treatment/interventions to support own recovery.
* Experience of actively supporting individuals to identify and work towards achieving personal goals in a related social care or health setting (paid or unpaid).
* Experience of working as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
* Experience of training others in the role of peer mentors and personal journeys to recovery.
Knowledge
* Demonstrate a basic understanding of various mental health conditions.
* Demonstrate an understanding of Peer Support.
* Demonstrate an understanding of professional boundaries.
* Have a basic awareness of equal opportunities legislation and the importance of recognizing and respecting diversity and promoting inclusion.
* Have a basic awareness of policies and procedures in relation to confidentiality, information sharing, and safeguarding children and vulnerable adults.
* Knowledge and understanding of the Trauma Informed Care Agenda in mental health.
* Basic knowledge of psychosocial interventions (e.g., motivational interviewing).
Skills and Abilities
* Communicate effectively with a wide range of people including those who use services, carers, other professionals, and members of the public.
* Share own experiences appropriately to work in a trauma-informed way, validating others’ experiences, listening, and empathizing while promoting and empowering hope.
* Motivate others and promote choice and empowerment.
* Handle challenging situations and behave in a professional manner.
* Aware of the limits of own competence and responsibilities, knowing when to seek support from others.
* Show commitment to one’s own professional development.
Other Requirements
* Ability to travel to a range of locations daily within the service delivery footprint to attend sessions or meetings in a timely and efficient manner.
* Experience of working within a multicultural framework.
* Ability to drive and access to a vehicle.
Important Information about Working for GMMH:
All positions within the Trust are subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks. For further information on the checks required, please visit the NHS Employers website.
Applicants are encouraged to apply for posts at Greater Manchester Mental Health who have direct experience of mental health, learning disability, or drug and alcohol services either as a service user or a carer.
The Trust is committed to safeguarding children, young people, and vulnerable adults and requires all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
We aspire to ensure our workforce is representative of the diverse communities that we serve and are strongly committed to removing barriers to employment for candidates from under-represented groups.
Sponsorship
We are proud to be an approved sponsor for the Skilled Worker visa. Applications from individuals who require sponsorship will be considered alongside all other applications.
If you are offered a role with us and require sponsorship, we will check your eligibility in line with the information on the UK Government’s website.
Do you have experience outside the NHS?
We want to attract and retain people with diverse skills and experience to deliver inclusive healthcare services to our communities.
We will consider relevant experience outside the NHS to calculate your salary on appointment. Please contact our Recruitment Team for more information.
**Please note, this vacancy may be closed at any time if sufficient applications have been received**
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